Pakistan Players Rise in ICC Rankings Ahead of T20 World Cup

Pakistan’s build-up to next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup received a timely boost as several of their players climbed the ICC T20 rankings following the team’s strong run in recent bilateral series. Having won four of their five T20I series in 2025 — including a 2–1 home victory over South Africa — Pakistan saw notable rises for three key batters. Captain Babar Azam jumped nine places to joint 30th, young opener Saim Ayub climbed 10 spots to 39th, and all-rounder Salman Agha moved up 10 places to 54th. India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to top the T20I batting chart. Elsewhere, Bangladesh’s Tanzid Hasan rose an impressive 20 places to 17th, Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz gained three positions to 15th, and teammate Ibrahim Zadran advanced six to 20th. West Indies captain Shai Hope also improved, moving up two places to 12th. On the bowling side, India’s Varun Chakravarthy remains the top-ranked T20I bowler. Australia’s Josh Hazlewood jumped two spots to 10th after his strong home series against India, while Bangladesh’s Mahedi Hasan moved up six places to joint 17th. His compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman climbed 13 spots to 14th. West Indies all-rounders Jason Holder and Roston Chase also made significant progress, along with Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who leaped 32 places to 33rd after a string of all-round performances. South African seamer Corbin Bosch, who finished as top wicket-taker in the recent Pakistan series, rose 15 places to joint 38th, while Pakistan’s Salman Mirza (45th) and Faheem Ashraf (51st) entered the top 100 for the first time. Raza and Chase also climbed the T20I all-rounder rankings, reaching second and third respectively. In the ODI charts, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell moved up to third among batters after his Player of the Series performance against England, while England pacer Jofra Archer rose to third among ODI bowlers, behind Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.